More Than A Soup Kitchen 003

2023 IRISH OPEN GALA & GOLF TOURNAMENT

On June 3 & 5, 2023, supporters gathered to rise up and make an impact in the St. Louis community. At this year’s Irish Open Gala & Golf Tournament, presented by Triad Financial Group, more than $682,000 was raised to support St. Patrick Center.

In the words of Kenia, our featured and honored client at the gala, “The turning point that shifts the situation of displacement is having resources and knowing people care… it is all about your heart and about helping people.” St. Patrick Center clients and staff know you care. Thank you for rising up and being the turning point for our clients.

Thank you to our sponsors, event committee, volunteers, and everyone who attended the Gala & Golf Tournament. We can’t wait to see you next year!

UPCOMING EVENT: VETERANS DAY 5K RUN/WALK

PRESENTED BY KEELEY COMPANIES

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2023

The 8th Annual Veterans Day 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, November 11, 2023, will be a fun-filled day for people of all ages to come together and race to end veteran homelessness. Join us and participate in the 5K, one-mile route, or kids’ dash and enjoy the runners’ village with snacks, beverages, yard games, giveaways, music, kids’ activities and much more! In honor of our service men and women, the City of St. Louis hosts the St. Louis Regional Veterans Day Observance Ceremony and Parade following the event. Can’t make it in-person? You can still participate through the Racejoy app!

On July 14 Catholic Charities announced I was selected as the next Chief Executive Officer of St. Patrick Center. I am thrilled to serve in this role and continue the legacy started 40 years ago by Edith Cunnane, who in partnership with the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Catholic Charities, founded St. Patrick Center. Each morning as I cross the street coming into the office there is a line outside our doors. I look forward to the collective work ahead and creating a community where everyone has access to sustainable housing, employment, and healthcare. As you can see from the numbers below the need continues to grow and we could not continue our mission without the support of people like you, our dedicated donors, volunteers and supporters. Thank you for your continued support and we hope you enjoy reading.

Clients Served

ANNOUNCING OUR NEW CEO AMANDA LAUMEYER BY THE NUMBERS:

1,632 Meals Provided

34,615

Clients Housed

38

140 Clients Employed

For many veterans, life after serving in the military can be challenging. Michael B. knows this all too well. After seven years in the military, Michael moved to Dallas, Texas, to work for General Dynamics. During his time there he helped create Cobra helicopters, but after Desert Storm his job fizzled out and Michael then had to move on to different things. After working several odd jobs in St. Louis, he found a new calling at the Veterans Affairs Health Care Center in 1999, where he spent over two decades helping veterans and people working at the Hope Recovery Center. It was at the VA where Michael first learned about St. Patrick Center and the range of services we have available for veterans.

Michael did not just learn about our work and our range of services for veterans through his job. As someone who faced housing instability himself, he sought help from our team at St. Patrick Center and his future began looking stable again.

For Michael, St. Patrick Center is an organization that offers a hand-up and not a handout, a place for people who are not afraid to ask for help and give back to the community. Michael did not just receive help with his housing instability, we also helped him find his dream job at the age of 59 as a teacher at St. Louis Public Schools.

Today Michael advocates for St. Patrick Center and asks donors and volunteers to open their hearts to help people like him, lifting them from a tough situation and providing them with resources to transform their lives. For people willing to seek help, we can provide a lifeline and a pathway to a brighter future. It takes courage and determination to take that first step. Michael’s story is a shining example of what is possible when someone is willing to ask for help and work hard to achieve their goals.

MORE THAN A SOUP KITCHEN MICHAEL B.

“

IT TAKES COURAGE AND DETERMINATION TO TAKE THAT FIRST STEP.”

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

DENNIS “SULLY” SULLIVAN Job Developer

DESCRIBE ST. PATRICK CENTER’S CULTURE IN ONE WORD.

Passionate

WHAT ARE TWO THINGS THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT WORKING AT ST. PATRICK CENTER?

Being able to help someone every day and being a part of a team that has so much passion for the work they do.

COMPLETE THE SENTENCE: “WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT MY COLLEAGUES IS________.”

how much everyone cares.

WHAT IS THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO? (NO CHEATING!)

“Sometimes” by Luke Bell

WHO WAS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH IN HIGH SCHOOL?

Farrah Fawcett. Still is!

WHAT DOES A PERFECT WEEKEND LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERTED ISLAND WITH TWO BOOKS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

“How To Get Off A Deserted Island” and “Things To Do On A Deserted Island”

Playing golf on Friday and ice hockey on Saturday. Taking care of chores and being with my Honey both days. Going out to dinner Saturday night and probably going to church and seeing Ma on Sunday.

WHAT TV SHOW ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED WITH RIGHT NOW?

Ted Lasso

A BOOK ABOUT YOUR LIFE WOULD BE CALLED WHAT?

WHAT’S THE ONE SNACK WE CAN ALWAYS FIND IN YOUR KITCHEN?

Carrots, for cooking and munching.

“He Showed Up”, it’s amazing how much good can come from just showing up.

Marna enlisted in the military when she was a junior in high school. She knew joining the service was always going to be part of her story, as she had watched many family members and friends enlist. At the same time her mother was released from prison and their relationship became contentious, causing Marna to seek a way of building a path of her own. She left for boot camp in the fall of 2006. After graduating from boot camp, she started college courses. In 2009 she was deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, and her life was forever changed.

“In the military we were always taught that if something happens, you keep going.”

While on a convoy mission, Marna and her partner hit a pressure plate while driving. Her partner unfortunately did not survive. Marna woke up in the infirmary with a cast on her leg and a dressing around her head. A year and a half after recovering from her injury she was deployed again and shot in the leg, shattering her left knee. She was then relieved of active duty and returned home to her apartment in St. Louis only to come home to an eviction notice, all her belongings gone, and nowhere to go.

All she had was herself, her six-month old baby, and her car. Marna was able to find a job, but it only paid minimum wage, so she was only making $600 per paycheck. It was never enough to pay for a deposit, provide for her son, and properly take care of herself.

“I got comfortable living in my car because I was able to survive. In the military we were always taught that if something happens, you keep going,” said Marna.

After living in her car for some time, it was repossessed and she had nowhere to live. This lit a fire in her to make a change. It was also when she connected with St. Patrick Center and began working with one of our case managers. With the help of her case manager, Marna received a housing voucher and was able to find a home. No longer having to worry about where they were going to sleep each night, she was able to focus on going back to school to get an associate degree in nursing and find a job to better support her family.

“If I had never gone to St. Patrick Center, I could have just kept going downhill”, Marna reflected.

Now Marna helps others in vulnerable situations, as she had been, find the help they need. She understands what it feels like to be unhoused and feel like you have nowhere to go and no one to support you. Marna focuses her time on connecting people who are unhoused in the St. Louis area to resources that are available to help them get back on their feet.

At St. Patrick Center we offer many programs to help veterans who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Our Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, known as HVRP, focuses on finding veterans employment. Veteran clients in this program also receive supportive services during their job search process and for the first 90 days of employment.

HVRP assists our veteran clients with transportation, food, job leads, resume and cover letter writing, online job applications, interview skills, haircuts, interview clothing, work clothing, shoes, and tools.

HVRP also makes sure the veterans have all the documents needed to secure employment such as a photo ID, social security card, and birth certificate. HVRP services St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles, Jefferson County, and St. Clair County, Illinois.

IN FY2022:

816 Veteran clients served

89 Veterans employed 206 Veterans housed

I had been able to do all these things and turn “ into a completely different person and they were still unhoused. What could I do to help?”

Safe at Home Operation

During this year’s Operation Safe at Home over $243,000 was raised to support St. Patrick Center clients on the path to permanent, sustainable housing, including people receiving services at Grace House. One of our newest programs, Grace House is designed to facilitate the journey of each client, as individuals, wherever they might be on that road.

Grace House is a 24-hour, low-barrier, safe haven for men and women. A safe haven is a place for unhoused individuals experiencing severe and persistent mental illness that may deter or affect their ability to remain in traditional, long-term shelters. This is a safe space before a shelter or permanent housing. Every day 25 individuals are welcomed inside out of the harsh weather. They are given warm meals, a safe place to sleep, and receive assistance with services and benefits.

We would like to thank all of our supporters who made donations to this campaign and created fundraises to help raise money to support the St. Patrick Center mission of transforming lives!

Thank you to our friends at Altar’d State- West County, Armory STL, and Anheuser-Busch (all pictured) for their support of Operation Safe at Home.

GW Slaughter, a member of St. Patrick Center Board of Directors, is on a mission to change the unsaid truth about veteran homelessness in the United States. As a veteran who served in Desert Storm, GW found out about St. Patrick Center during the 2008 financial crisis at a networking event aimed at connecting people from different walks of life.

During the event, GW met several talented individuals who inspired him to start anew. This newfound confidence helped him step out of his comfort zone and learn the importance of networking. Thanks to St. Patrick Center, he was introduced to the person who helped him secure a position on the board of the American Cancer Society.

Since then, GW has come full circle and is now a member of St. Patrick Center Board of Directors. He aims to eradicate veteran homelessness, and St. Patrick Center has been a dynamic helping hand on this journey. Over the years, we have successfully decreased the percentage of our veteran clients experiencing homelessness from 25 to 18 percent.

GW’s ultimate goal is to break the barriers that most veterans hold up when refusing assistance. He wants to teach them to embrace help with open arms and inspire others to give and serve to make a difference in the world. With his dedication and the support of St. Patrick Center, he hopes to make a significant impact and improve the lives of veterans who have dedicated their lives to serving their country.

He believes that addressing veteran homelessness requires a comprehensive approach, including providing housing, employment opportunities, mental health services, and community support. Through his own experiences and work with St. Patrick Center, GW has seen the transformative power of community and connection. He believes that by coming together to support one another, we can create a better future for all veterans and their families.

Through his own experiences and work with St. Patrick Center, GW has seen the transformative power of community and connection.

At the 2023 Irish Open Gala & Golf Tournament, we recognized two champions of St. Patrick Center’s mission. Thank you Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 and The Trevisano Family for your years of support!

EDITH CUNNANE COMMUNITY CHAMPION

PLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS LOCAL 562

Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 is a longtime partner and supporter of St. Patrick Center. For more than 30 years their leaders and members have dedicated a legacy of service and support to St. Patrick Center. This includes supporting fundraising events, organizing donation drives, and volunteering on the Board of Directors and Young Professionals boards. The Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 includes over 4,500 members who serve the plumbing and mechanical industry in Eastern Missouri and serve as champions for their charitable partners like St. Patrick Center, while improving the lives of people in their communities.

LEO PARADIS VOLUNTEER CHAMPION

THE TREVISANO FAMILY

The Trevisano Family, led by Jay and Susan, have been champions of St. Patrick Center for more 20 years. They devote countless hours to support St. Patrick Center’s mission through their incredible Christmas light display, Teddy Bear Christmas Land. Annually they design and create this well-known St. Louis holiday light display that generates thousands of dollars and awareness for St. Patrick Center. Each Christmas season the Trevisano Family helps St. Patrick Center reach more volunteers, more donors and supports more families experiencing homelessness.